Sonny'd had a bad feeling before they entered the damn cave network - add in a creepy tunnel that dead ends at some old statue? Asking for trouble. And Spenser just had to go and touch the damn thing.

Rated T. Age regression/de-aging. Kid fic.

Sonny is not above bribery. He is, however, very susceptible to puppy dog eyes.

Chapter Five

The toy aisle of the NEX has considerably more screens in it than Sonny remembers from his childhood toy store. Clay also appears confused by all the gadgetry. Every time the kid squints at a toy in confusion, Sonny feels less old.

He also picks it up to let Clay inspect the toy, on the off chance the kid will want it. So far, he's made grumpy faces at every one after a cursory glance.

"So tell me, what does a Baby Spenser do for fun?" Sonny picks up a singing doll with red hair. "Beers and a ball game hardly seem likely." He sets it back on the shelf when Clay physically pushes away from the doll.

Sonny's arm tightens around the kid's waist where he's secured on Sonny's hip.

"Mama let's me watch tv if I don't break anything," Clay puckers his lips in thought, "And she brings books for me when we to Duke's."

Duke's sounds vaguely familiar to Sonny, but he can't place the name. He choses to think on that later.

"Wanna check out the books then?"

Clay's eyes go wide and his mouth breaks out into a smile that would make the sun look dim, "I get to pick?"

Sonny nods and when they get to the children's section Clay jumps from Sonny's arm to zip up and down the shelves. It's the first time he's let Sonny out of his sight, which Sonny is realizing makes watching the kid much harder.

"Line of sight, Baby Spenser," Sonny follows after the blond blur as he skips past the picture books - Sonny got it on video, thank you smart phones - to the chapter books.

He has, in a matter of minutes, accumulated a stack of books nearly as tall as he is. Some of which Sonny's seen in Jameelah's hands at Ray's place.

"You sure you'll be able to read those?" Sonny crouches down beside Clay as the kid examines a Harry Potter book. "That's the fourth book."

"Oh," Clay puts it back, carefully pushing it between the books he'd pulled it from. The tiny fingers move back to his pile, "What about this one?" He holds up the first Percy Jackson book.

Sonny nods, "Bad movie, good book." Clay holds it swiftly to his chest, "It's for older kids though?"

The wide eyes are turned on him with the poutiest of lips Sonny's seen off a woman with a late tab flirting with a bartender. He crumbled quicker than the bartender too.

"Alright," Sonny blew out a breath and then turned to look at the pile, "But only one more, so pick carefully."

A Beverly Cleary book is shoved into Sonny's hand at the end of a long, arduous selection process in which Clay read the first page of each and every book in the pile. He then went up and down the shelves again, putting his rejects back in their places.

"Done?" Sonny asked when Clay returned to his side. A vigorous nod was his only response.

The walk back from the NEX took longer now that Clay was walking beside him instead of clinging to his chest. It was a major accomplishment to have the only point of contact be their hands.

Which was more than necessary because now that he was calm, and hyped up on book fumes, Clay was as energetic as a jack rabbit. He flitted around, pulling at Sonny's hand and attempting to glimpse everything in a three-mile radius without leaving the sidewalk.

"You're going to pull your arm outta your socket you keep twisting like that," Sonny chuckled as Clay walked backwards, arm twisted behind him and up at an odd angle as he stared, open mouthed, at the ships docked a few blocks away.

Clay didn't turn back around until a building blocked his view. Sonny let him do his convoluted dance to right himself before laughing again.

"You're in a better mood."

The sun-bright smile turned up at him again. "Mama never lets me pick out my own books. Daddy neither."

"So I earned myself some points here huh?" Sonny lifted the bag of books in his other hand. Clay nodded. "Shoot, wish girls were as easy to please."

"Don't worry," Clay chirped, "Daddy says women are harder to please than the army, and more expensive."

Sonny was fairly positive Baby Spenser had no idea what Ash was talking about when the man had said those words, which was half the reason they were so funny coming out in the kid's high pitched, cheerful voice.

He stopped laughing when he caught sight of Jason ahead of them on the sidewalk, hands on hip. Clay followed his gaze and promptly shrunk back to walk on top of Sonny's leg. So Sonny stopped.

"Did a little shopping, did ya?" Jason greeted Sonny with a tight smile as he walked up to the two. His voice was jovial for the sake of the kid, Sonny knew, but the contrast between the voice and the hard set of his eyes was enough to send a cold child over Sonny's skin. Hell, the jaw was clenched, Sonny moght just as well pick out a casket.

Clay was now standing behind Sonny, gripping his leg as he watched Jason. Given he was actually looking at the boss…well, Sonny figured it counted as progress.

"Kid deserved a treat after playing pincushion for the doc," Sonny smiled down at Clay. He took a step out from behind the leg. Clay tilted his head, expression open as looked at Jason.

Jason raised an eyebrow, his eyes softened. He looked back at Sonny, "Next time, let me know. Command doesn't want us wandering around."

Sonny heard the 'us' and took it for 'Clay.'

"Got it, boss."

With Jason in the lead, and heads on a swivel for witnesses, they made their way through the maze of barracks to the oldest one. Signs denoted it as 'inoperative,' but Jason keyed in an acess code to open the door.

"Come on, Baby Spenser," Sonny prodded as they entered the barracks. The kid took in the rows of three-stacked bunks with mouth agape.

It was one of the older style barracks, one big room and a communal bathroom at the back. Technically, this particular building was scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a shiny state-of-the-art officer's quarters. It had been scheduled for said construction nearly five years now. So, it made itself useful as a quarantine zone for SEALs.

How a building from the 50s had keypad security Sonny didn't bothered to ask - way above his paygrade. And he had a functioning brain, so it would stay that way.

"Is Daddy here?" Clay's head swiveled left and right as they walked one of the aisles up to where the beds had been rearranged to create a close approximation to a rec area. Davis' had been busy - a couch, a tv, and a few chairs were present. All that was missing was the pool table.

"Nah," Sonny shook his head as he tossed the bag of books onto one of the nearby bunks, "Just my team for now. His ain't back yet."

Clay watched him sit in one the chairs. Sonny felt goose flesh rise at the intensity. He unlaced his boots and looked up to meet the kid's eyes. The baby blues were hard, narrowed on Sonny.

Sonny raised an eyebrow, held the gaze.

"Okay." Clay nodded to himself and his face relaxed.

Bravo team watched, with far to gleeful of smiles, as Clay crawled up into Sonny's lap with the Percy Jackson book. He nested himself against Sonny's ribcage and started mouthing the words as he read. Silent. Still.

"Okay, that's it," Ray threw his hands in the air, "Why the hell didn't Ash Spenser write a parenting book?"

There was a string of mumbles that Sonny could guess were some not Baby Spenser appropriate words from Jason too. Trent was, smartly, hiding a smile from the two fathers.

Sonny kicked his feet up on the coffe table, made a mental note to thank Davis for her stellar foresight, and grinned. Openly.

Baby Spenser didn't even look up from his page.

It was then, with his mind wholly focus on doing nothing, that the memory pushed to the forefront of Sonny's mind. Back before Green Team even, a night spent hazy with free flowin' booze at every corner. He'd walked right into an officer's bar - Duke's.

The grin dropped.

Thanks for reading! Reviews Appreciated!